A major problem which has existed for centuries has been the fact that once a valuable item, such as a ring, coins, or jewelry, washes down a drain, it is difficult, unpleasant and in some cases impossible to retrieve the valuable item before it enters a sewer line or septic system. While the object can frequently be retrieved from the “J” or “U” trap, or “elbow” below the sink, it is a difficult and unpleasant job. First, the pipe trap must be loosened by removing two large retaining nuts, which requires the use of tools such as heavy plumber's wrenches. Next, the trap is slid off, but during its removal the water trapped in the “elbow” can spill all over the floor and create a mess. After removing the item, the elbow section must be installed, and removed again every time an object is dropped down the drain, thereby causing wear and tear on the threads of the connecting parts of the plumbing system. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which items that have fallen down a sink can be easily retried without the disadvantages as described above.
There have been proposed several methods of preventing this from happening, including several discussed below. Unfortunately, none of these inventions solve the additional problem that food particles and other residue that collects in the elbow portion of the plumbing system ferments, rots, and undergoes other unsanitary processes resulting in not only a potential health hazard, but also an extremely smelly and unpleasant process when the elbow is removed to retrieve a lost item. There have been proposed several methods of adding a biodegradation enhancer as well as several separate inventions directed toward drain traps which captures valuables washed down from a sink or other device. None of these inventions successfully combine both an item retainer with an effective method of enhancing the biodegradation of food particles and other residue coming out of a sink.
The current invention provides a solution for these two problems. The Transparent Pipe Trap with Means of Enhancing the Biodegradation of Sink Effluents, as its name implies, is a pipe trap for the drain line of a sink or other washing container that attaches to the existing plumbing at the elbow section, and has a clear, see-through cup with an integral drain. Valuable items are prevented from being lost into either a septic tank or main sewer line by a screen removably attached “downstream” from the trap. The invention proposes two methods for adding a time-released, biodegrading substance to the water trapped in the plumbing: a time-release tablet held by a lever within the cup itself, and, alternatively or in conjunction with the tablet, a time-release coating of a biodegradation enhancing substance on the screen itself. Since the screen can consist of either a mesh of horizontal and vertical bars, or a flat piece of plastic, metal, or some other suitable compound, the means of coating the screen with the biodegradation enhancing substance will vary.
The invention is installed in place of a conventional “J” or “U” trap directly below the sink or other washing container. The invention functions in the same manner as a conventional trap by holding a small amount of waste water to act as a barrier against sewer or septic tank gasses. If a small object such as a rig of other piece of jewelry should be dropped down the drain, the object will fall into the cup on the bottom of the trap. The object can be viewed through the transparent cup. To remove the object, the water in the trip is first drained by opening a small valve on the bottom of the transparent cup.
The invention is also ideal for viewing the condition of the trap to see whether or not clogs or backups are present, and to check on the condition of the biodegradation enhancing substance to see whether it needs to be replaced. The use of the Transparent Pipe Trap with Means of Enhancing the Biodegradation of Sink Effluents allows for easy inspection of normally inaccessible pipe traps, allows for easy and sanitary retrieval of fallen objects in a manner which is quick, easy, and efficient, and enhances the biodegradation of food particles and other effluents which collect in the elbow portion of a plumbing system, thereby increasing the sanitation of the plumbing unit and making removal of the unit more sanitary and pleasant.
There have been a number of inventions related to adding biodegradable substances to septic tanks and toilet, but none adequately solved the problem addressed by this invention. Lin's '882 patent teaches a biodegrading substance, but the invention must be applied by hand every time it is used—there is no time-release of the biodegrading substances. Craig's '513 and '094 patents teach physical systems using foam blocks, with little relevance to biodegradation of effluents and completely lacking a trap system.
There have also been a number of inventions related to traps and plumbing systems, none of which combine both an easily operated trap with a biodegrading effect. For example, the '816 patent issued to Welsh discloses a sink trap which is devised to be mounted in a different manner than this invention and does not have the drain trap this invention teaches. The '095 patent issues to Francisco discloses a similar mounting mechanism to this invention and also teaches a drain plug, but fails to solve the problem of biodegrading food particles and other residues. The Francisco patent also is not designed to fit in the elbow section of the plumbing system, thus even if Francisco had taught the use of biodegrading compounds his Drainpipe Filter Kit would not be placeable in a location where the biodegradable compounds would be effective. The '816 patent issued to Weltsch teaches a screen filter device located at the bottom of the elbow, but the attachment mechanism is not threaded and appears to have a less effective sealing mechanism between the trap and pipe portions, and the Weltsch patent does not teach any biodegradation mechanism. The '922 patent issued to Gleason teaches a debris collection device which does not have a screen or trap portion, and fails to teach a biodegradation mechanism. The '234 patent issued to Senninger teaches a testing device which uses a threaded method of connection but fails to teach the screen or trap, and biodedgredation components of the present invention. The '288 patent issued to Fell and the '569 patent issued to Ruiz teach similar test uses, and also fail to teach the screen/trap and biodegradation components. The Disposable Plastic Trap Bag, issued as the '392 patent to Hayes, offers a similar method of trapping particles in a fluid, but is not designed to fit in the elbow section and fails to teach the biodegradation function of the present invention. The '055 patent issued to Riker shows impressive sophistication for an 1884 patent, but fails to teach threaded connections, screen/trap elements, and biodegradation elements of the current invention.